New enemies and an evil twin - she's got her work cut out for her this time, warns NGC.

Samus Aran, the infamous intergalactic bounty hunter, is on her way to investigate the disappearance of a Galactic Federation task force. The last transmission from the team came from a world called Aether - a remote planet, torn apart by a struggle between light and dark. This is the simple plot that unfolds in the opening sequence of Echoes, the sequel to the hugely popular Metroid Prime.

The theme of light and dark is central to Echoes. You see, Samus will be required to travel between the two worlds in order to resolve a conflict. One the one side is the Luminon (a light-world race) who wish to stop the Ing (a dark-world race) from finding a permanent means of entering the light world, which would giving them the opportunity to wipe the Luminon out. Not so much a case of 'resolving', then, and more 'obliterating the other side' - diplomacy never was Aran's strong point. Not that we're complaining, of course.